Saviours Of the Anauroch

The Hymn of Sand and Clouds.

Mertel Earthshaker

Mertel Earthshaker

True Neutral High Forest Half-orc of Silvanus

Biography:

Nearly middle-aged for a half-orc at 24, Mertel believes himself to be destined for something great. Raised by a human community of druids, Mertel has heard nothing of and cares little for his origin. He has heard the stories of the druids and the lives they lead, and decided to claim such a life for himself. When the Circle of the Reaching Blue mentioned that often only the most venerable druids find themselves in positions of great power, and he knew he did not have much time. Mertel has traveled to the Anauroch seeking an ancient story that will grant him the life he desires. He knows his purpose is selfish, but pursues it anyway.

Deity

Mertel is a worshipper of Silvanus, whom much like he is a detached thing of nature, concerned mostly with the orderly procession of natural law than the concerns of any one sentient race. Mertel sees Silvanus as an inanimate thing, a representation of natural forces rather than a force himself. This better suits his desire to master the world.

Gameplay:

Mertel is a bit strange, in that he can do most things effectively, but few things extremely well. With the serene Zen Archery feat, Mertel can lay down arrow fire and do decent damage given his high strength. Additionally, his wisdom is high enough to allow him to become a powerful druidic spell-caster, laying down impairing and damaging field effects. Mertel’s natural strength also leads him to melee combat, and his ability to shape-shift can only augment this. Mertel can fill nearly any role the party requires.

Who should play Mertel?

Mertel’s player should have a decent grip on the game’s rule systems, only because of his great variety of special abilities and constantly shifting rules regarding playing him. Mertel can also pay off greatly at later levels, as many of his abilities stack with the others, meaning like most divine classes he sees the most steady gains of power over the course of the campaign. Alternatively, play Mertel because you prefer the selfish, somewhat detached character. Though decent enough to protect his party, Mertel’s Neutral stance makes him somewhat more pragmatic than the predominantly Good party.

Destinies:

The Destiny System gives characters access to unique goals, contacts and abilities that they have hidden from the other party members. These secrets guide much of the action of the campaign, and can present some of the most impressive mechanical abilities when they come into play.

Thornblade

Stoic

Ravenous Execution

Prestige Class Potential:

Mertel is one of the characters whom has access to prestige class advancement in the game.

If he prefers his shape-shifting abilities to spell casting, the Shifter class is ideal for Mertel. By honing his ability to change forms, Mertel can slip rapidly between creature types to suit the situation, and if he has the Natural Spell feat, can still maintain his spell casting ability as he does so. This can give the party at least one character that’s always suited to the situation in which they find themselves.

Alternatively, Mertel may choose to take up the path of an Abolisher. If he finds himself beset on all sides by aberrant enemies, the abilities of an Abolisher are uniquely suited to fighting such alien foes. There are drawbacks, it’s true: madness, immense purple-pink crystals that grow out of his spine, but the ability to smite abberations and the fact your very presence causes them nausea and pain could prove to be extremely useful over the course of the campaign.